Aaron Rosenbaum Selber Jr. (December 13, 1927 – August 13, 2013) was an American businessman, the last president of the former Selber Bros.

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

, and a philanthropist from

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, the largest city in the northern portion of the U.S. state of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Background

Selber was a son of a Jewish couple, Aaron R. Selber Sr. and the former Frances Dreyfuss. While growing up during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Selber developed his

work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. Desire or determination to work serves as the foundation for values centered on the i ...

early, delivering the since defunct ''

Shreveport Journal The ''Shreveport Journal'' was an American newspaper originally published by H. P. Benton in Shreveport and Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. In operation from at least 1897, it ceased publication in 1991. History The name ''The Journal ...

'' newspaper, selling the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'', and servicing

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...

s while attending elementary and junior high school at the private Southfield School and high school at the public C. E. Byrd, both in his native Shreveport. Selber graduated from Southfield School in 1940, one of the first graduates of the institution located at 1100 Southfield Road; in 2011, he was inducted into the Southfield Hall of Fame. Selber enrolled at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

for one year before he joined the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, in which he gained top secret clearance in the electronics section of the

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

. After his military duty, Selber attended the School of Retailing at

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri. He then returned to Tulane where he graduated in 1950 with a

Bachelor of Business Administration A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is an undergraduate degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of four years and typically 120 credits of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of busine ...

degree. He was subsequently inducted into the Paul Tulane Society. At Tulane, Selber met his future wife, the former Peggy Burkenroad. She was a board member of the Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary and the Sci-Port Discovery Center in Shreveport. Like her husband, Peggy Selber was a generous philanthropist, an artist, and a golfer who won multiple championships.

Career

Selber returned to Shreveport to work in the family retail clothing business. Under his leadership as the company president, Selber Bros. became a regional department store chain with outlets in Louisiana and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The first store was established in 1907 at 227 Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport by Selber's grandfather, Charles Selber. In addition to Aaron Sr., there were three other Selber brothers, the uncles of Aaron Selber Jr. – Isadore, Louis, and Mandel Charles Selber. Hence three of the four Selber Brothers died in the nine-month period between December 1967 and August 1968. Following the sale in 1988 of Selber Bros. to Dillard's Department Stores, Aaron Selber Jr. became for the remainder of his life an investor: "Cash rather than merchandise became my inventory." Selbert attributed his optimistic business philosophy to the influence upon him from his father, his father-in-law William Burkenroad, and Jacob Aron, Burkenroad's business partner in New York City. The senior Aaron Selber had limited higher education, having attended a business college, but he possessed an uncanny grasp of human nature. Billy Burkenroad made his fortune in the coffee business with Jacob Aron, and like the Selbers was a generous philanthropist. In 1978, Burkenroad switched the focus entirely of the J. Aron Company from years of coffee importation to the trading of commodities. Selber was a member of the National Retail Merchants and the Specialty Retail Stores associations. Aaron Selber, with his wife Peggy, was a large donor to many nonprofit organizations in both Shreveport and New Orleans. They established the Aaron or Peggy Selber Foundation in Shreveport and the Aaron and Peggy Selber Family Donor Advised Fund within the New Orleans Community Foundation. Selber was a former chairman of the board of the

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, also known as BCBS, BCBSA, or The Blues, is a United States–based federation with 33 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance to more than 115 million people in the U ...

of Louisiana. He was a director of Commercial National Bank at 333 Texas Avenue in Shreveport and a president of the Shreveport

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). A ...

and later the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. He was president of his alma mater, Southfield School,

Goodwill Industries Goodwill Industries International Inc., or simply Goodwill, is an American business that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment. Goodwill Indust ...

, and the Holiday in Dixie spring festival. He was a board member of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, the Norwela Council of

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

, the Louisiana State Fair,

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

, and the

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

post-Christmas

Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bow ...

, The Selbers were members of the B'nai Zion Congregation.

Death and family

Selber died in 2013 at the age of eighty-five at his Shreveport home of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

. His motto was "Live your life in a wonderful way!" He was a member of the B'nai Zion Congregation in Shreveport. There are four Selber daughters, Patty Selber Newton and husband Carl of

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, Pam Selber of

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, California, Polly Selber Gleichenhaus and husband Barry of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado, and Penny Selber Autenreith and husband Robert of New Orleans. Horace Ladymon, owner of the former Beall-Ladymon Corporation, was among Selber's honorary pallbearers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selber, Aaron Jr. 1927 births 2013 deaths American businesspeople in retailing Businesspeople from Louisiana American philanthropists People from Shreveport, Louisiana C. E. Byrd High School alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni Tulane University alumni United States Army Air Forces officers Jewish American military personnel American people of Polish-Jewish descent Louisiana State University people